Electric switching devices are used in the low-voltage, medium-voltage, and high-voltage range for the opening and closing of electrical switching contacts. Vacuum switching tubes, in which the electrical switching contacts are arranged in a vacuum, are used, thereby permitting a high dielectric withstand. Electric switching devices may be of simple and compact design. However, a simple and compact design is countered by the complex kinematics involved in the movement of switching contacts in electric switching devices.
Different variants where switching contacts may be actuated in electric switchgear are known, for example, in vacuum switching tubes. EP2312606B1, for example, describes the use of a magnetic drive in the same housing as the tube. Where older systems (e.g., the VM1 system produced by ABB) frequently employed a lever transmission system between the drive and the vacuum switching tube, more recent documents, such as, for example, CN201788887U or CN202159623U propose a direct drive (e.g., a direct, and consequently compact, connection between the actuator and the vacuum switching tube).
A similar arrangement is provided in “reclosers”, in which the vacuum switching tube is driven by a direct drive via a magnetic drive (e.g., EP0580285A2 or CN2350863Y).
DE10238950B4 describes an arrangement where the vacuum switching tube and the drive are combined, to the extent that the drive is not housed in the vacuum zone of the switching tube. The drive is maintained at the medium-voltage electrical potential, such that electrical insulation between the drive and the switching tube may be omitted.